Run the Gulches

Seven rigs showed up for the Friday morning run. We all survived the challenge of getting through the construction zones, with only a slight delay in the scheduled departure time. Whistle Stop was doing a bang up amount of business!

Eureka Gulch was our first destination. During the climb up to the Gulch you get a great view of the remnants of the mill. Pretty impressive!

The crew continued on past many mines and some pieces of the ore tram used to move the product from the mines to the mills.  Quite a few places to explore. A good future day trip.

The next destination was Minnie Gulch, and a prime spot for lunch.  We passed a large group of sxs drivers coming out of the Gulch. Once again they were very courteous and let us continue to the end of the Gulch. Lunch was enjoyed at a nice spot looking down at the valley.

The trip up Maggie Gulch was a bit more exciting. Early on a cinnamon colored bear was spotted in the drainage. We stopped for several minutes to watch as he was very active. The highlight of this leg was the incredible amount of wildflowers. Just spectacular!

There was more traffic on this stretch than the other two, but we had no issues passing and allowing vehicles to pass our group. The stop at the end of the Gulch features an abandoned mine with quite a bit of equipment on the site. We met a group from Alabama that was taking pictures of their daughter in a cap and gown to be used for her senior high school photos.

Our trip back to Silverton was uneventful with the exception of a tire issue that was quickly resolved. We arrived back at the Whistle Stop shortly after 4p. Another successful CJG run!

Come join the group for the run to Kite Lake on August 21.

Many thanks to club members Karin F. and Ron R. for contributing the photos!